Chareidi Family Fined for Singing Too Loudly at Their Seder

A Bnei Brak family was fined $95 on Pesach after neighbors complained about their singing.

“We held the seder the same as every Jewish home,” Rav Chaim Shaul Rosenberg told Chadrei Chareidim. “My neighbor, a religious Jew, was apparently bothered by our singing and cut off our electricity via the lobby power box. We still had light from the candles in the living room and from an adjacent room and continued the yom tov meal. But a few minutes later, police arrived and demanded that we stop the noise. I told the police officer, ‘We have already begun the meal and will try to finish soon and be quiet.'”

Police returned soon afterwards and fined the family $95.

MK Yisroel Eichler of UTJ wrote to Environmental Minister Ze’ev Elkin and demanded an immediate cancellation of the fine. He noted that it was just as well that Israeli police officers were not around when Rabi Akiva and the chachomim celebrated a seder all night in Bnei Brak or they too would have been fined.

i too was upset this story first came out on Chol Ha’moed. But than it came out that this family had over 35 people at the seder (which of course of perfectly ok) and the first police warning was at 2:30 am and the second time they came and issued a ticket was at around 3:30 am. A picture of the actual ticket was widely dist by the hareidi newspapers and the time is clearly written.

Now chatzot in israel was 12:40. So this is way after they finished eating. I could imagine the anguish of hearing 35 souls singing and banging around without any hope of quiet.

nothing justifies being michalel yom tof! But this family was not b’seder either.